Post-driving machine.



PATENTED MAY 8, 1906.

L. H. KETCHAM.

POST DRIVING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.23,1905.

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- EN N J/ uw a. l NJJL uw@ n PATENTED MAY 8, 1906.

L. H. KE'I'GHA'M. l POST DRIVING- MACHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED Nov.2a.19o5.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 2,

A TTOR/'wiys LINCOLN HAMLIN KETCHAM, OF CORNING, OHIO.

POST-DFHVING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 8, 1906.

Application x'iled November 23, 1905. Serial No. 288,806.

To rif/ZZ, 1.0710111, it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, -LiNeoLN HAMLIN KETCHAM, a citizen of the UnitedStates, re-

siding at Corning, in the county of Perry and State of Ohio, haveinvented a new and useful Post-Driving Machine, offwhich the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to machines for driving posts, piles, and thelike, and has for its object to materially facilitate the handling ofthe machine in operating the saine as well as during transportationthereof.

Other objects of the invention reside in the novel mounting of the mastfor the support of the hammer, whereit'y the -niast may be raised andlowered and also swung in various directions to adjust the same to avertical position regardless of the condition of the Ground upon whichthe machine stands, to facilitate the raising and lowering of the mast,to provide novel means for elevating and releasing the hammer, toprovide improvements inthe spacing means for gaging the distancesbetween a line of posts, and to improve the construction of the truckfor carrying the operatin mechanism of. the machine.

Wit these and other objects in. view the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter morefully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes inthe forni, proportion, size, and. minor details may be made within thescope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing anyof the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a post-driving machineembodying the features of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan viewthereof with the mast cutaway.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the ham r-elevating means,parts being broken away to show the slidable mounting of the hammer uponthe mast. Fig. 4 is a detail fragmentary sectional view illustrating themeans for supporting the hammer in a partially-elevated kposition. Fig.5 is a detail sectional view ta en through the connection between thefoot of the mast and the supporting-truck.

Like characters or reference designate corresponding parts in all of thefigures of the drawings.

For the support of the operating parts of the present machine I employ awheeled truck made up of forwardly-converged sills or side beams 1,which are suitably connected at their forward ends and are also con-vnected substantially midway of their ends by a cross-bar 2. Asupporting-wheel 3 is mounted upon a stub-ax e 4, projecting outwardlyfrom the rear end of each beam or sill 1, and this wheel is providedwith a centrally-disposed peripheral flange 5 to sink into the Groundand prevent sidewise slipping of the w eel when the machine is inoperation. At the forward end of the truck there is a caster-wheel 6, towhich is connected a tongue 7 for the connection of the draft-animalsWlien transporting the machine. A. spring 8 and a chain 9 are employedto support the tongue when the machineis in use and the draft-animalsare removed therefrom.

To stiften and strengthen the truck-frame, wooden brace-bars 10 areprovided between the cross-bar 2 and the -inner sides of the rearortions of the side bars 1. Beneath'the ame of the truck are crossedmetallic bracerods 11, each of which is connected at its for-V ward endto a bail or link 12, embracing and connected to one of the :side barsof the frame, while its rear end is connected to a similar link 13,carried by the rear end portion of the other side bar of the frame. Thetwo brace-bars-cross in front of the cross-bar 2, and each of thempasses through a hanger 14, depending from the under side of the rame,preferably from the cross-bar 2. As clearly indicated in Fig. 1 of thedrawings, it will be seen that each race-rod is formed' in two sectionswhich are connected by a turnbuckle 15 in rear of the cross-bar 2,whereby the proper tension may be maintained upon the braces. It willheie be explained that each brace-rod passes loosely through its hanger14, and the latter forms a strut for the truss-brace 11, whichmaterially stifi'ens and strengthens the frame.

The brake mechanism employed upon the present truck includes a rock-bar16, disposed transversely across the frame in front of the cross-bar 2and mounted in bearings 17, each end of the bar being provided with anupstanding crank-terminal 18, located at the outer side of the adjacentbearing. From each crank there extends rearwardly a connecting rod orlink 19, which has its rear end connected to the inner. upstandiiwrcrankarm 20 of a rocking brake-bar 21, the latter being mounted in abearing-bracket 22, car- IIO lried by the frame of the truck and projeating` outwardly therefrom. A depending crankarm 23 is provided uponthe outer end ofthe brake-bar and carries the shoe 24 for engage# .lment. with the .adjacent supporting-wheel of L"the truck. A Ibrake-lever25 is carried by the`bar 16 and has a handle-controlled dog 26, engaginga rack 27, carried -by the frame 'ofthe truck, whereby the brakeeshoesmay be conveniently applied to and removed from the rear wheels of thetruck.

f The mast 28 for the support of the hammer is mounted upon thecross-bar 2 in the manner best shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings.A'turn-table 29 is centered upon the top of the cross-bar 2 and is heldthereon by a pivotpin 30, there being ametallic wear-plate 31 inte osedbetween theturn-tableand the vwoo en' cross-bar. Ears 32 rise from theturn-table at opposite .sides of the center thereof, and between theseears there is a llink 33,V which is pivotally connected to the ears by apin 34. A pair of metallic straps 35 urcated, as at 42, (shown-in Fig. 1of the" drawings,) with (the, biurcated portion straddling a rod or bar43, piercing the side bars 1 l embrace the front and rear sides vof thefoot ofl the mast and project below the same so as to embrace the link33, and a pivot-pin 36 pierces the straps, and the links, so -as to forma pivotal connection at iight angles to thepivotal connection 34. Bythis construction the mast may be rotated upon its longitudinal axis andalso swung in directions at right angles to one another, whereby themast may be adjusted to vertical position without regard to thecharacte'rof the ground vupon which the machine stands.

When the machine is in transportation, the 'mast is swung downwardly andrearwardly `into the` position shown by dotted lines in Fig.' 1 of thedrawings, with its free end supvported by a wheel or roller 37 carriedby and projected beyond the free end of the mast. For raising andloweringthelmast upon its pivotal connection with the truck there isprovided a' hoisting mechanism including a derrick made up of a post orstandard 38,

having its lower end pivotally supported be- I tween the forward endportions of the side bars 1 upon a rod 39, and a'brace ,or prop 40,pivotally connected at its upper end to the rear side of the standard 38adjacent its top, as at 41. The lower end of the prop 40 is bi'- of thetruck. This rod is braced at its mid-` die by a yoke-shaped ,bracket 44,carried'by the front 'side of the cross-bar 2, the lower end of the prop40 being engaged with the rod or bar between the sides of the bracket.

Upon the standard 38 there is a clamp 45 which is adjustablelongitudinally thereon,

and this clamp carries a drivers seat 46,10- cated upon the front of thestandard. When the machine is in transportation, the prop'40 disengagedi'romthe rod `orbar 43 and side of the mast, an

folded downwardly Vwith the standard 38, whereby the drivers seat isbrought into position for use. Upon the top of the lderrick,

formed, by the standard 38 and the prop 40, is a series of pulleys 47,and at the top ofthe front side of the mast there is a double block 48.A hoisting drum or windlass 49.1is mounted vupon the-front extremity ofthe truck in front of the derrick, and from this drum leads a cable 50,which passes up across-one of the series of pulleys 47, throu h theblock 48, thence .through another of t e pulleys 47 downwardly to ablock 51, mounted uponjthe frame of the truck between the drum andthederrick, thence upwardly to the block 48., and, finally,` downwardbetween the sides of the truck and secured to a rod 52, piercin theframe of the truck betweenthe wind ass and the derrick. By thisarrangement ofhoisting mechanism a very powerful hoisting operation mayvbe obtained. The hoistin -drum 49 is of course provided with a suita leratchet device 53 to hold the mast against backward movement when beingelevated.

It is roposed to brace or stay the mast 'when a justed in an uprightposition,and

this 'is accomplished from the rear -`end off-l Upon the v each side barof the truck-frame. rear end vof each side bar 1 thereis ajd'rtrn'- 54,rovided .with a Wndin-crank-S-S aiil a r ratc et 56. A cable 57 lea sujiwardly from the windlass to la block 58,` carriel by'the'topotthemast, and thence downwardly and se- .curedl to the adjacent frame-barin front of. the windlass, as at 59. When the mast is being elevated,the ratchets of the drums 54 are thrown out of operation in order that'the stay-cables 57 may quickly unwind from' the drum. After the mast hasbeen adjusted tothe desired position the ratchets 56 are thrown intooperation, and the-drums 54 are operated to strain the cables 5.7, andthereby lhold the mast rigidly in its upright position. Y

The hammer60 is in the nature of a solid weight which is slightlytapered upwardly and is provided with an upright passage 61,

' receiving the'mast and of a sizeto ,permit of the free slidablemovement of the hammer upon the mast. To reduce friction between themast'and the hammer, spacedrtracks or metallic plates 62 are cprovided uon the rear similar 'p ates 63. are provided upon the front side of themast, whereby the bearingfsurface between f the hammer and the mast isreduced and 4metal contacts with metal insteado'f metal with wood. Thefront face of the mastis grooved ilo.

or channeled, as at 64, between the front plates 63and withinthis.channel there is mounteda lever 65, fulcrumed intermediate of its ends,asat 66,' with its up erend carry- Iing a substantially horizontal olt67, .wor e ing through an opening68, formed in theback of .the 'mast andc( )mmuincatmgy `-with the elenca channel 64. This` bolt rests upon anantifr1ction-roller69, located in the opening 68 and mounted upon apivot-rod 7 O passing through the mast. A spring 71 bears against 'theupper end of the lever 65 with a tendency to normallyand yieldablymaintain the bolt 67 within the mast so as not to interfere with themovement of the hammer. l/Vhen it is desired too support the hammer in apartiallyelevated position, as when setting a post pre- 'parator todriving the same, the hammer is elevate above the bolt 67, and then thelower end of the lever is drawn outwardly so as to project the bolt inposition to support the hammer when lowered thereonto. It is proposed tohinge a link or handle 72 to the lower free end of the lever 65 forconvenience in manipulating the latter, said handle capable of bein@folded back into the channel 64 to permit of the hammer passing up anddown the mast.

The hoisting mechanism for the weight includes a slidable sleeve 73,embracing the mast above the hammer and having an upright tong or lever74 fulcrumed to the rear side of the slide, as at 75, adjacent the lowerend of the lever. The lower end of this lever is provided with arearwardly-directed bifuroated toe portion 7 6, designed to engagebeneath a oke-shaped bail or hanger .77, carried by tlie top of thehammer` An antifriction-roller 78 is journaled in the bifurcated portionof the lever to facilitate the engagement and disengagement of the leverwith respect to the hanger 77. A socket 79 is formed in the top of thehammer beneath the hanger so as to accommodate the 'toe of the lever. Atthe top of the mast and at the rear side thereof there is a block orulley 80, around which passes a hoisting-cable 81, having one portionhung in a bight 82 from the block with its er 'i secured to the to ofthe mast, as at 82. The other portion oithe cable extends downwardly toa guide or pulley 83 upon one of the side bars 1 of the truck, fromwhich it leads outwardly, and is' provided with a whifiletree (notshown) for the connection of a draft-animal. As clearl indicated in Fig.2 of the drawings, it wil be seen that there is a pulley 83 at each sideof the truck-frame in order that the hoisting mechanism for the hammermay be operate from either side of the machine. In' the bi ht 82 of thecable 81 there is a block or pu ley 84, from which links 85 and 86extend to the lever 74 and the slide 73. Upon eX- amination of Fig. 3 ofthe drawings it will be noted thaty the wheel 37 at the top ofthe mast 28 is in the upward path o1 the upper free end of the lever 74 for thepurpose of automatically tripping the lever from the hammer to releasethe latter when elevated to its limit. The upper free end of the lever74 is bowed, as at 87, to properly enga e the wheel 37, andl across-head 88 is carrie by the lever at a point slightly below its upperend for engagement with the wheel 37 should the lever 74 be swunglaterally out ofthe vertical plane of the wheel.

Extending rearwardly from the truck is a spacing-bar or gage-bar 89,having its forward end provided with a clevis 90, loosely and detachablyengaged with a bracket or seat 91, carried by the rear of the cross-bar2 adjacent one end thereof, there being a removable pin 92 piercing thebracket and passing through the clevis. A similar bracket 918L isprovided at the other end of the crossbar 2, whereby the gage89 can beshifted rom .one side 'to the other of the truck, according to therequirements of the conditions under which the machine is being used.Upon this ga e-bar there is a slide 93, carrying a removable pin 94 forindividual engagement with a series of perforations 95, formed in thebar. A cross-head 96 is carried by the slide and projects at oppositesides of the bar. At the rear of the bar 89 there is atrailer-Wheel 97carried by a bracket 98, which is pivotally connected to the under sideof the bar, as at 99. This bracket is provided with a transverse seriesof perforations, one of which has been shown at 100, and a removablebolt or pin 101 pierces the bar for engagement with the individualopenings to hold the bracket at diHerent adjusted positions.

In practice the hammer 60 is elevated and supported by the bolt 67,after which the post to be driven is set in the ground, and then thehammer is elevated until the lever 74 is automatically tripped,whereuponthe hammer will drop and strike upon the top of the post so asto drive the latter into the ground. This operation is repeated untilthe post has been driven to the desired extent. Preparatory to drivingthe next post the supporting-truck is advanced until the cross-head 96of the gage-bar 89 engages the post 102, which has just been driven,whereby the machine is stopped in the proper position for driving thenext post. The distance between posts may be regulated by the adjustmentof the cross-bar 96 upon the gage-bar. In driving to a new position thetrailer 97 is set, as in Fig. 2, and the gage-bar is drawn laterally todisengage the cross-head 96from the post, whereupon the machine is drawnahead and the gage-bar will automatically swing or trail inwardly underthe influence of the trailer 97, so as to bring the cross-head 96 intoposition for engagement Awith the post that has just been driven.

When the gage-bar Vis located at the other side of the machine, thetrailer 97 is'of course set at the reverse inclination to draw theGage-bar inwardly in the manner hereinbefore described.' In order thatthe hammer may be tripped before it reaches its upper limit, a cable 103is connected to the u per end ofthe lever 74, whereby upon p mg.

ICO

down upon this cable the lever 74 may be swung out of engagement withthe hammer and the latter released to drop upon the post.

Having thus described'the invention, what is claimed isg 1. In apostdriving machine, the combi nation With a truck, of a turn-tablethereon, a member hinged to the turn-table, a mast hinged to said memberupon an axis at right angles to that of the hinged member, guys foradjusting the mast, a hammer slidable upon the mast, and means forelevating and releasing the hammer.

2. In a post-driving machine, the combination with a truck, of 4aturn-table thereon provided with ears at op osite sides of the center ofthe table, a lin pivoted between the ears, a mast pivoted to the linkupon an axis at right angles to that of the link, hoisting means for themast, guys between the mast and the truck, a hammer slidable upon themast, and means for elevating and releasing the hammer.

' 3. In a post-driving machine, the combinationwith a truck, of a masthinged thereon and capable of being lowered to the ground, a wheelcarried by the free end of the mast for engagement with the round whenthe mast is lowered', a hammer s idable upon the mast,

'to hO nation with a truck, and a hammer Carried.

thereby, of a gageebar trailing from the truck and shiftable'from one.Side to the other thereof, post-engaging means' Carried bythe bar, anda trailer-Wheel carried by the gage.- bar and shiftable vto reverseinclinations `across the bar.

7. In a post-driving machine, the combination with a truck, and a hammercarried thereby, of a gage-bar trailing from the truck and shiftable`from one side to the other thereof, post-engaging means carried by thebar, a trailer-wheel, a bracket carrying the wheel and pivoted to thebar, said bracket having a transverse series of openings, and afastening carried bythe bar for individual enga ement with the openingsof the'bracket d the latter in adjusted positions.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aiiixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

LINCOLN HAMLIN KETCI-IAM.

Witnesses:

JoHN A. FISHER, C. E. ROBERTS.

SQv

